If you need a break from the news in Washington, D.C. today, take 20 minutes and check out my conversation with Second Amendment activist Nikki Goeser, who’s the executive director of the Crime Prevention Research Center. Our topic of conversation doesn’t revolve around our right to keep and bear arms specifically, but on the tragic story that brought Goeser to Second Amendment activism in the first place.

In 2009, Nikki Goeser and her husband were the victim of a stalker, who walked into a gun-free zone with a gun of his own and shot and killed her beloved Ben right in front of her. Goeser, who was a concealed carry holder at the time, was disarmed by a state law that prohibited carrying inside of establishments that served alcohol, but her husband’s killer had no compunction about violating that statute (or the law against murder).

That man, Hank Wise, received a 23-year prison sentence, but as Nikki and I discuss, he’s now looking at five more years behind bars after being charged with continuing to stalk Goeser by mail from behind bars. Wise’s preliminary hearing took place on Tuesday, and thankfully the judge found probably cause to keep the case moving forward.

The bad news is that Tennessee Department of Corrections has so far failed to address an issue with Wise’s state-level sentence. As Goeser explains, even while Wise was allegedly trying to contact her from behind bars, he was earning a total of 3 1/2-years off of his sentence because of his supposedly good behavior.

Goeser has repeatedly asked that those good behavior credits be taken from him, but has been given several reasons for the TDOC’s decision to maintain them. Most recently, she says the TDOC told her that nothing could be done because Wise hadn’t been charged with a crime.  Obviously that’s now changed, and when I asked Nikki what gun owners could do to support her after all of her efforts to support our Second Amendment rights over the years, she didn’t hesitate in her response.

“I would really appreciate it if everyone would (and be nice, don’t be mean), but contact the Tennessee Department of Corrections. The commissioner is Tony Parker, and just ask very nicely, just ask to completely revoke Hank Wise’s good behavior credits.”

I’ll echo Nikki’s call to be civil in your efforts, should you choose to contact Parker. I’ve been unable to find his DOC email address, but he is on Twitter @TDOCCommish.

Goeser has been a tireless advocate in defense of our rights since she came to the movement in the most tragic of circumstances. I hope that we can come together for her now and do what we can to see that the man who robbed her of a lifetime with the man she loved has to do every day of the sentence that he received in court.